Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. M, 1932. B. H. WESTON REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed April `9, 1928 INVENTOH. BIJ/9T H. W5S 0N.

-mi m@ Patented Oct. 11, 1.932'l BUR'I H. WESTON, 0F WOOD RIVR, ILLINOIS REFRIGERATIN Gr .APPARATUS Application 'filed April 9,

This -invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to a refrigerating apparatus adapted' to the use of solidified carbon dioxid.

It is well known thatl solidiied carbon dioxid (CO2) will produce a very low temperature but so far as I am informed no method or apparatus has been provided for' the practical and-economibal utilization ot the same as a refrigerant, the experimental uses which have been made having been wasteful and impractical from a commercial standpoint. Carbon dioxid when solidified is in the form of a snowlike substance which, by subjecting the same to a high pressure, may be formed into very hard cakes or blocks of any desired shape. When exposed .the

solidified carbon dioxid is slowly reconverted into gas and the gas thus given oft1 has a very low temperature, and\when pressed into solid blocks the gas is given off very slowly. Because of the slowevolution of the gases and the low temperature thereof a given quantlty of solidified carbon-dioxid will produce `theA same temperature and maintain such tem-A perature for the same length of time as a very much larger quantity of `ice or a. given quantity of solidied carbon dioxid will produce a much lower temperature and malntain the same for a much longer time than will the same quantity of ice.

` One object of the inventionv is to provide a practical economical method and apparatus for utilizing solidified carbon dioXid for re- 2 vfrigerating purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a domestic refrigerator in which solidified carbon dioxid may be used as thelref rigerant. A

A further object of the invention is to pro? vide such an apparatus whichl will be .simple ,in its construction, inexpensive to produce and which may be operated conveniently and at a` small expense.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a refrigerator with means for producing in a restricted area a very intense cold.

A further object of the invention is to pro- .vidc a refrigcrating apparatus of this kind 1928. Serial N0. 268,745.

l longitudinal vertical section taken through a domestic refrigerator embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is. a transverse sectional view of the same taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l looking from right to left. v

In this drawing I have illustrated one em-l bodiment of my invention and have shown the same in the form of a domestic refrigerator but it will be understood that this particular embodiment has been chosen for the purpose of illustration onlyl and that the apparatus may take various forms and may be used for various refrigerating purposes.

In carrying out my invention the solidified carbon dioxid is placed in a container or refrigerant chamber and such portion of the cake is exposed as may be necessary to produce the desired temperature. Preferably the cake of carbon dioXidfis enclosed in a wrapping or cover of insulating material of some suitable kind, such as a heavy paper,

the insulation being omitted from a part or all ofthe lower side of the cake. A This, however, would depend upon the character of the apparatus being used. The refrigerant chamber has an outlet opening through which the gas given oif by the carbon dioX'id cake may escape and this gas is conducted through suitable passageways or conduits about a -container for the substance which is to be chilled.- Beyond the container for the substancewhich is'to bel chilled the passageway Ais provided ..With a suitable outlet through whichv the gasmay escape, thus maintaining a circulation in the passageway and dis# charging the spent gas. T-he gas being absolutely dry and non-poisonous in character it may be discharged directly into thel at1nos- -phere but for the purpose of economy a gas -receptacle may be connected with the outlet for the purpose of recovering the gas, which may then be again vsolidified by proper treatment.

In that 'embodiment of the invention here illustrated the refrigerator comprises a cabinet 1 similar to the cabinet of an ordinary refrigerator. Arranged within this cabinet is a container 2 forl the substances which are to be chilled and which may be conveniently characterized as a food receptacle. This food receptacle is arranged within the cabinet as to permit the circulation of gas about the same and, inthe present instance, a top, bottom and end walls of the receptacle are `spaced from the corresponding walls of the cabinet to formpassageways 3. The front wall of the receptacle is coincident with the front wall of the cabinet and the door 4 permits of access to the receptacle. The upper part of the cabinet is provided with a refrigerant chamber which is adapted to receive a cake of solidified carbon dioxid as shown at 6. The lower portion of the chamber, in the present instance the bottom wall thereof, is provided with an opening 'I which will expose that portion of the cake immediately above the' same and through which the gas given off by the cake of carbon dioxid may enter the passageways 3. This gas being materially heavier than air will flow by gravity through the passageways. The cake is shown as protected by an insulating cover 8 on all but the bottom side thereof. If desired, means may be provided forregulating the size of the opening '7 and, asfhere shown, that opening I comprises a series of slots in the bottom wall of the chamber and a gate or vshutter 9 having similar slots is slidably mounted beneath the bottom wall of the chamber and may be actuated by a handle 10 to regulate the size of the slots and thus vary the total ar-ea of the opening leading from the chamber to the passageways. To permit the free iow of the gas from the chamber to the passageway4 the chamber may be vented, as shown at 11. The vent is very small and is arranged above the cake of carbon dioXid so that no gas will escape through the same and only a very small quantity of air will enter the chamber.

At a point beyond the food receptacle 2 and, in the present instance, inthe bottom wall of the cabinet, is an outlet communicating with the passageways 3, which may, if desired, be in the form of a pipe 12. As has been "stated, it is preferable to recover y the gas in order that it may be,again used and for this purpose I have connected with the outlet pipe 12 a gas-receptacle 13 which,

in. the present instance, is `cylindrical in form and is connected with the pipe 12 by a coupling 14 so that a filled receptacle may be readily removed andl an empty one substituted therefor. 'I prefer to place within the gas receptacle 13a gas absorbing substance, such as caustic potash (KOI-I) which has the capacity ofabsorbing many times its v own bulk of gas. The capacity of the receptacle 13 may be in such proportion to the refrigerant chamber 5 that it will rece1ve all the gas given off by akcake of carbon dioxidplacedwithin the receptacle. 'Ihus the gas receiver may be removed and a fresh one sub# food receptacle may be utilized for these purposes but, in the present arrangement, I i* have provided for the use of separate cakes of carbon dioxid for, freezing and for cooling water. To this end the upper portion of the cabinet is provided, on the respective sides of the refrigerant chamber 5, with supplemental refrigerant chambers, 15 and 16, these chambers being somewhat smaller than the chamber and each adapted to receive a cake of solidified carbon dioxid. The chamber 15 contains a freezing chamber, which may be characterized as a cold oven, and which is adapted to receive receptacles containing liquid or other substances which it is desired to freeze solid. It is necessary therefore, that the freezing chamber or oven should be subjected to an intense cold, in the present instance, it is of such a character that it will besurrounded on all but one side by solidified carbon dioxid. 'This may be conveniently accomplished by molding the cake of carbon' dioXid 17 with a cavity, the walls of which are insulated, as shown at 18, in which may be supported one or more receptacles. In the present instance, shelves are arranged in each cavity so that three receptacles may be mounted therein one above the other. The insulating material for the upper wall of the cavity isprovided with an opening 19- so that the carbon dioxid gas will enter the cavity and circulate about the receptacles therein and will then escape into the main chamberl from which it may be discharged through an opening 20 into one of the passageways 3. In the preparation of desserts and the like itmay be desirable to chill the substances to a lower temperature than that maintained in the food receptacle but not to freeze thesame and I have therefore provided a second cold oven 21 directly beneath the main refrigerant chamber 5, which is so arranged that a plurality of sides thereof will be exposed 'to the gases escaping should be desired to utilize a circulating re- CII Leeaaev bodiment of my invention l wish it to `be understood that l do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled inthe art.

Having now fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A refrigerator comprising a chamber adapted to receive a cake ofl solidified carbon dioxid, a food receptacle arranged beneath said chamber, passageways leading from said chamber about said food receptacle, a second chamber, a block of solidified carbon dioxid arranged within said second\chamber and having a cavity to receive a substance which is to be frozen.

2. A. refrigerator comprising a cabinet having in the upper portion thereof a main refrigerant chamber and two supplemental refrigerant chambers, each of said chambers being adapted to receive a block of solidified carbon dioXid, a food receptacle arranged beneath said chambers, passageways leading from said main refrigerant chamber about said food receptacle, each of said supplemental chambers having communication with said passagewaya the cake of carbon dioxid in one of said supplemental chambers being shaped to provide a cold oven, and a coil of water pipe arranged beneath the cake of carbon dioxid in the other of said supplemental chambers. A

3. ln a refrigerating apparatus, a container for solidified carbon dioxid, av second container arranged below the first mentioned container and adapted t-o receive a substance to be chilled, a passageway communicating with the first mentioned container, extending about the exterior of said second container and having near its lower end an-outlet to which carbon dioxid gas will flow by gravity, and a gas recovering device connected with said outlet.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, a structure having a chamber to be chilled, a container for solidified carbon dioxid having an opening in the bottom wall thereof arranged to expose only that surface of said carbon dioxid which rests on said .wall and `through which carbon dioxid may escapea passageway communicating with said opening and arranged to conduct said gas about the exterior of said chamber which 4is to be chilled, and a gas receiver communicating with said passageway at a point beyond the chamber t o be chilled.

5. A refrigerator comprising a chamber adapted to receive a cake of solidified Ycarbon dioxid and having an opening in the lower part thereof to expose a portion only of said cake, a food receptacle arranged below said chamber, a passageway extending about the exterior of said food receptacle and communicating `with said opening to conduct the gas given o by said carbon dioxid about said food receptacle, said passageway having an teV outlet at a point near the lower end of said food receptacle, and a gas regeiver connected with said outlet.

6. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having in the-upper portion thereof a cham ber to receive solidified carbon dioxid, said chamber having an opening in the bottom wall thereof to expose a portion only of said carbon dioxid, a food receptacle arranged beneath said chamber, a passageway for said carbon dioxid gas leading from said opening about the exterior of said receptacle, a container for gas absorbing material, and means for detachably connecting said container with said passageway.

7. ln a refrigerating apparatus, a structure having a closed chamber to be chilled, a container for solidified carbon dioxid arranged above said chamber and having an opening in the bottom wall thereof arranged to expose only that surface of said carbon di- '.oxid which rests onl said wall and through Vwhich carbon dioxid gas may escape, and a passageway communicating with said open- 95,

ing and arranged to conduct said gas about the exterior of said chamber, said passage- Way having a restricted outlet near the bottom of said chamber. l

ln testimony whereof, I aiix my signature hereto.

' BURT H. WESTON. 

